What was your Gatewaybeer to craft beer?

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If I have already posted, pardons.

If not: Budweiser-owned Killarney's Irish Ale did it for me. I was never a BMC fan, but this beer was good, and it led me to trying other things, such as Devil Mountain Railroad's 5-Malt Ale. From there on out, it was me looking for newer, better things. From there, it was more malt-forward beers (& ciders) until just a few years ago, when I moved back to NC. I got a Sweetwater 420 at a abr and thought "this is too bitter!" yet I was intrigued, and there & then began my lupulin-shift towards the dark-side, er, I mean, toward more hop-forward beers. Now, Stone's Ruination isn't too bitter, although I still love a good malty beer.

I need to get brewing more, so I can finally get to brewing that Ellie's Brown Ale clone from Avery.
 
Yeah, I'm not sure if I posted already but if not here we go: (and if I did I apologize if my story is different. A lot of things contributed into me drinking craft beer)

I used to party a lot in high school so the only things I ever consumed were natty light, busch light, and keystone light (bud light was too expensive... hahah) I discovered great lakes christmas ale a year or so before turning 21. I was living so close and just loved everything about them and the craft. Then started buying the great lakes sampler with dortmunder gold, burning river, elliot ness, etc. It took off from there. Not to mention, thanks to them I bought a Mr. beer kit and look where I am today...

By the way, I have no problem spending $10-$20 on a 22oz bottle of beer now... Pretty crazy since I just said I thought bud light was expensive in high school. Then again I didn't have a big boy job in high school, but my how things change..
 
I too may have responded earlier, and my answer may be different this time, as I rarely tell the truth.

I was a Bud Light drinker, and perfectly content to stay that way. But I wanted to have something a little better on hand for visitors, so I bought some craft beers, and drank a few to dispose of them. After a while, I discovered that I enjoyed SNPA as much as Bud Light. (Wow)

Then, I decided I needed a new hobby, and it is legal to brew beer, so why not give it a shot. I started trying new beer styles to find out if I should brew them. Along the way, I opened up a whole new world of beer enjoyment. In a way, brewing beer was my gateway to craft beer.

Now... I have a 12 pack of Bud Light collecting dust in my garage that has been slowly disappearing for more than 2 years. I can do this. Just give me a little more time.
 
Junior year of college in the late 90's I got a job cooking at an independent microbrewery/gastropub. I was never slavishly into BMC brews and enjoyed Killians, Sam Adams, etc, but generally didn't know about and couldn't afford craft beer.

Once I turned 21, I spent enough time at the bar after shifts drinking what was on tap to aquire a taste for the good stuff. Pretty soon my default beer when out became Sierra Nevada.
 
Singletrack said:
Now... I have a 12 pack of Bud Light collecting dust in my garage that has been slowly disappearing for more than 2 years. I can do this. Just give me a little more time.
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Ha! Back in October we hosted a birthday party for my daughter and someone brought a 12 pack of bud light. Of course I brought out my home brews and craft beers and a lot of beer was drank that night. Other day I noticed the 12 pack in the fridge, looked inside and, what do you know, still 12 bottles in there! Guess I converted them all!
 
When I was 18 I took a trip to Montreal with a few friends. While we were there, we went to visit the Unibroue brewery in nearby Chambly, the first brewery I ever visited. We did some tasting after that at their brew pub, and my eyes were opened to good beer. Prior to that, the nicest beer I ever drank was when someone splurged on a keg of rolling rock over natty light.
 
Flying Dog Tire Bite did it for me..... The tap handle looked cool so I had to try it. I was hooked on the good stuff after that. That happened in errrr 2009ish...
 
I'm from chico so for me it was SNPA. That and Steinlager were the ones all through high school.
 
I think it was Bells Oberon or Two Hearted.....

There were also a number of Blue Moons as I left Miller Lite in the rear view mirror. I will leave it to the historians to decide if blue moon is "craft" or not
 
The movie sideways was my gateway, oddly enough. I came out of it thinking to myself that I should really branch out from the purple haze that I was drinking at the local watering hole. Fortunately the local watering hole was Dr. Dremos Tap House, so they had lots of selection (40+ taps). Now I don't care for wheat beers and especially not purple haze. Sipping on some of my home brewed ESB now.
 
I liked the really bitter IPA because I didn't like beer at all and the IPA bitterness and hops hid the "beer flavor". It took me awhile to start liking the more plain styles like pales and lagers. Craft beer actually got me into non beer, not the other way around.
 
I was never really into Miller or Bud. I would drink the occasional Miller Lite because it was there but.......I liked "imports" like Molson and Guinness. I had always liked bitter beers before I really knew what hoppiness was all about. My craft beer mania really started in 2012. My wife and I stopped in to a bar near our house that we hadn't been to in a while.
They had recently remodeled and now has 32 taps of craft beer. The bartender gave us a few samples of different beers and it was then that I realized I was a hop head and never knew it!!!!!!
It's been a fun ride ever since!
 
Magic hat #9. A good buddy of mine use to get it at Mac'grades bar all the time and we would split pitchers when it was on special. Its was areal eye opener for a miller lite drinker and became my go to beer.
 
Moose_MI said:
I think it was Bells Oberon or Two Hearted.....

There were also a number of Blue Moons as I left Miller Lite in the rear view mirror. I will leave it to the historians to decide if blue moon is "craft" or not
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Just to clarify, your Gateway beer absolutely does not have to BE a craft beer, it just needs to be something better than the typical macro, leading you to the realization that better beer does exist.
 
Black Butte Porter - over 20 years ago, we lived in Portland and I worked at the Veritable Quandary while the wife went to Culinary School.
Also it was responsible for starting me down the road to homebrew. Also stumbling across Papazians book at Powell's Books for Cooks.
Before that, I was a Bud guy. Can't stand the stuff anymore.
 
MrFancyPlants said:
The movie sideways was my gateway, oddly enough. I came out of it thinking to myself that I should really branch out from the purple haze that I was drinking at the local watering hole. Fortunately the local watering hole was Dr. Dremos Tap House, so they had lots of selection (40+ taps). Now I don't care for wheat beers and especially not purple haze. Sipping on some of my home brewed ESB now.
Click to expand...

I remember Demos from the 5 years I lived in Arlington (Westover). Neat little dive that had beer pong tables. Was sad to see it close.
 
MrFancyPlants said:
The movie sideways was my gateway, oddly enough. I came out of it thinking to myself that I should really branch out from the purple haze that I was drinking at the local watering hole. Fortunately the local watering hole was Dr. Dremos Tap House, so they had lots of selection (40+ taps). Now I don't care for wheat beers and especially not purple haze. Sipping on some of my home brewed ESB now.
Click to expand...

I remember Dremos from the 5 years I lived in Arlington (Westover). Neat little dive that had beer pong tables. Was sad to see it close.
 
immigrating to the US. No need to even try craft beer while I was living in Munich.
 
TheMadKing said:
Widmer brothers hefeweizen was consumed by the pitcher in my college days.
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I think some of you are missing the point. If you consumed mass quantities of Widmer Hefe in college, then that basiscally is YOUR Bud Lite. Was there a beer that opened your eyes and helped you to realize that craft beer is a great big wide world of variety and quality that can provide extreme enjoyment and satisfaction far beyond simpling guzzling beer to get drunk? Everyone has their favorite beers, but my favorite thing about craft beer is the variety. That's why even though I brew, I still buy a lot of craft beer too. I would drink craft beer every day even if it had no alcohol content at all, because my primary reason for drinking it is the enjoyment and pleasure of discovering a new style, or a new flavor within a style that I didn't know existed. This to me is what sets apart craft beer drinkers from macro beer drinkers who just drink for the buzz. I realize not everyone looks at this the way that I do, but what I want to hear about is that Ah-Ha moment when you tried a new beer and the light went on - hey, this is something completely different that I had no idea even existed! Beer can enrich my life!
 
TxBigHops said:
I think some of you are missing the point. If you consumed mass quantities of Widmer Hefe in college, then that basiscally is YOUR Bud Lite. Was there a beer that opened your eyes and helped you to realize that craft beer is a great big wide world of variety and quality that can provide extreme enjoyment and satisfaction far beyond simpling guzzling beer to get drunk? Everyone has their favorite beers, but my favorite thing about craft beer is the variety. That's why even though I brew, I still buy a lot of craft beer too. I would drink craft beer every day even if it had no alcohol content at all, because my primary reason for drinking it is the enjoyment and pleasure of discovering a new style, or a new flavor within a style that I didn't know existed. This to me is what sets apart craft beer drinkers from macro beer drinkers who just drink for the buzz. I realize not everyone looks at this the way that I do, but what I want to hear about is that Ah-Ha moment when you tried a new beer and the light went on - hey, this is something completely different that I had no idea even existed! Beer can enrich my life!
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I'm not missing the point at all.

I first started drinking keystone and coors light. I switched to widmer hefe in college when I realized beer could actually taste pretty good. Therefore that was my gateway beer to craft beers because I started drinking more craft beers because of it.

After I started drinking widmer hefe, I immediately set out to try every craft beer in town to figure out what else I might like and ended up saving 1 bottle from every unique beer I tried. I ended up with over 250 bottles decorating a shelf that spanned the enture circumference of my living room.

I wouod say that my answer is perfectly valid, if a little under explained initially. We're all here for different reasons but we're all here just the same, and can pretty much agree that beer is awesome :)
 
TheMadKing said:
I'm not missing the point at all.

I first started drinking keystone and coors light. I switched to widmer hefe in college when I realized beer could actually taste pretty good. Therefore that was my gateway beer to craft beers because I started drinking more craft beers because of it.

After I started drinking widmer hefe, I immediately set out to try every craft beer in town to figure out what else I might like and ended up saving 1 bottle from every unique beer I tried. I ended up with over 250 bottles decorating a shelf that spanned the enture circumference of my living room.

I wouod say that my answer is perfectly valid, if a little under explained initially.
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Thanks for expanding your answer. I didn't set this up as a poll. It's not just the name of the beer that I'm after. I want to hear people's stories. I think it's interesting to hear people tell of the evolution of their experiences with beer. I apologize if you felt like I was calling you out individually. I just used your post as an example and opportunity to add some more explanation of what I was hoping for in this thread. Certainly I respect everyone's answer and understand that some will write less, while others will write more. I'm just trying to encourage everyone to tell as much as they can remember.
 
TxBigHops said:
I think some of you are missing the point. If you consumed mass quantities of Widmer Hefe in college, then that basiscally is YOUR Bud Lite. Was there a beer that opened your eyes and helped you to realize that craft beer is a great big wide world of variety and quality that can provide extreme enjoyment and satisfaction far beyond simpling guzzling beer to get drunk? Everyone has their favorite beers, but my favorite thing about craft beer is the variety. That's why even though I brew, I still buy a lot of craft beer too. I would drink craft beer every day even if it had no alcohol content at all, because my primary reason for drinking it is the enjoyment and pleasure of discovering a new style, or a new flavor within a style that I didn't know existed. This to me is what sets apart craft beer drinkers from macro beer drinkers who just drink for the buzz. I realize not everyone looks at this the way that I do, but what I want to hear about is that Ah-Ha moment when you tried a new beer and the light went on - hey, this is something completely different that I had no idea even existed! Beer can enrich my life!
Click to expand...
As with about any over generalization, you are wrong on the stance that there is only one answer.

My early beer drinking life was Warsteiner and Veltins because they were the local beers. That said ANY time we traveled outside of our little area, we always drank local including Alts in Dusseldorf, DAB pils in Dortmund, Grolsch cans in Sanford, Holland...So my gateway beer was Warsteiner Pilsner which is a whole lot like Michelob for central Germany now. The AH HA moment was either when we were in Dresden 3 weeks after the wall fell and had what passed for their local Pils...it was awful, or when I went to Geneva and they were serving Bud Light at a club and the French Swiss insisted, as an American, that I would love it.

These experiences in 1989 convinced me I need to homebrew when I return to Oklahoma to find my selections limited (OK+...what a pain in the butt) I started homebrewing. So my Gateway to craft brew...is still either Guinness (not a craft brew) or Sam Adams Lager (not what most consider a craft brew now) or Pecan Street or Pete's Wicked Ale (have not seen either of these in years)...but these were not may gateway to good beer or to homebrewing.

FYI, even after I came back, I drank a lot of Milwaukees Best, Natural light and an occasional Keystone...I mean I was paying my way through college after all.
 
Onkel_Udo said:
As with about any over generalization, you are wrong on the stance that there is only one answer.
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Not sure where I stated that there is only one answer... :confused: After that opening line, I didn't even bother to read the rest of your post. This is not a debate, just a place for people to share. Thanks for contributing! :mug:
 
My first beer was....Miller Highlife in baby size cans that were in a barrel of ice at a beverage store south of Ft Worth, Texas, 1982. Was good at the end of a hot day of work. Miller still stamps a drink-by date on their product. But Shiner Bock opened my eyes, 1990 and then Fat Tire while spending 7 weeks of pressurized training in Denver, 1999 eventually made me a craft beer snob. They were free in the Exec Lounge at the hotel. A bright spot at the end of the day too. Brewing now for 2 years but still purchase craft beers as a interesting aspect to the hobby.
 
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TxBigHops said:
Not sure where I stated that there is only one answer... :confused: After that opening line, I didn't even bother to read the rest of your post. This is not a debate, just a place for people to share. Thanks for contributing! :mug:
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"I think some of you are missing the point. If you consumed mass quantities of Widmer Hefe in college, then that basiscally is YOUR Bud Lite."

Hence, one right answer. You were starting it had to be a beer that opened your (our) eyes to the breadth of options that are craft brew. I was stating it could have started the other way around...your general exposure was to good beer, and a variety of it, THEN BMC became to norm around you.

Glad you could not be bothered with the rest of my post:mug:

My original answer was many, many pages ago and followed your chosen format. I too follow this thread for the stories.
 
Onkel_Udo said:
Hence, one right answer.
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That's quite a stretch, especially when I have explicitly stated the opposite many times, but hey, you are free to form your own opinion. It didn't appear that the poster I responded to was offended by my prodding for elaboration, so don't know why you are.

Can we get back to the fun stories, which is why this thread exists? Thanks.
 
In the early 90's I had a college roommate from Belgium who's parents shipped him a regular supply of great beers. That got me started followed by big foot.
 
I've always liked bold flavors. I love spicy food, dark chocolate, stinky cheese, peppery charred steaks with a rare center, and black dark strong coffee that makes your piss smell like Starbucks after a half a cup.

In college, it was the beast and keystone pounders. One time a buddy brought home a couple of 6 packs of yuengling from the bar. It was hard to complain since I was only 19/20, but I was annoyed because it cost more for less beer. He said "This is the good stuff. You won't get headaches because it's in a green bottle." Right.

Fast forward a few years, I'm working at a Tex Mex chain restaurant and start bartending at 21. The restaurant is near Youngstown, and a $3 beer means 32 (plus) ounces of a BMC product. Randomly somebody would try a Heineken, Sam Adams, or Amstel. It didn't take long and I realized I needed to be able to sell that $3 skunky, bitter, or "almost as good as coors" beer to the guy who just bought it. They were either happy with the purchase and left me a tip, or pissed they dropped the money for 2 bud lights on that bottle of nasty.

The beer reps we had were great. They gave us all the "material" we needed to sell those beers. Sometimes, they'd even bring a sample of new beers to try.

Pete's wicked ale wasn't new... But chain restaurants go for crowd pleasers usually. It was new to us. I was surprised when we started offering it. My coworkers described it as ear wax and grapefruit rinds mixed with tea. I really liked it though. I noticed the first time I tried it... It didn't have to be ice cold. We had frosty mugs for all our beers. There were guys that would drink 2/3 of a beer, then order another. The warm was was "schwag." That should tell you something.

Anyways... Pete's Wicked and Sam Adams became my go to beers. They had flavor, and it tasted good even when warm.
 
I've always drunk different beers, but I guess I grew up drinking the likes of Tennents, Tartan Special and McEwans heavy and export

I do remember having my first german wheat beer and enjoying the difference between that and british ales. Can't remember what one it was though.

Also having some Oakham and Harviestoun beers back in the late 90s, they were a bit different from my usuals in that they were well hopped with zesty hops and they probably started my love of modern, hoppy beers.
 
I had two different stories.

Buddy and I would gt beer for weekend late night fishing. Ussually tried to gt something different. Bought something. Think it was dogfish head. Well didnt enjoy it. At all.

Next i got victory hopdevil ipa. Loved this beer and it was down hill from there. Now i home brew and go all over trying different brews.
 
Shiner Bock on draft at a local sports bar was the beer that got me curious as to what else was out there.
 

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